Industry News
Gambling Channels suffer from YouTube’s policy
Brian Christopher, who runs BrianChristopherSlots, has recently found that YouTube has terminated his account. It happened exactly at the time when he was gearing up to start a month-long promotional tour for the channel. It was a big blow as most of his revenues were coming from that channel and he had worked hard to make it a success. He has made more than 1100 vlogs of himself gambling, mostly on slot machines, and amassed 50 million views and 80,000 subscribers.
He contacted YouTube for reasons. In an email, YouTube explained the suspension was due to “repeated or severe violations” of its community guidelines, which prohibit “violent or dangerous acts that have an inherent risk of serious physical harm or death.”
Like many top creators, Christopher makes his full-time living from YouTube, and he’s terrified of losing his primary income source. He said he’s careful to get approval from the casinos he vlogs from as well as the slot-machine manufacturers before publishing his videos. He does not swear, feature explicit content, or do anything else he thinks might be perceived as violating YouTube’s notoriously vague guidelines, which he and many creators can almost recite by heart.
Christopher and other top creators are in a precarious position: Though their videos provide a steady stream of income to YouTube via advertising, they do not work for YouTube directly, and the company has a long history of deleting channels, demonetising videos or accounts without warning, and leaving creators with little to no recourse or explanation.
In January, YouTube made sweeping, sudden changes to the qualifications it used to judge whether channels were eligible to earn money on the platform. Thousands of small channels lost their ability to generate money on YouTube overnight and had no way to appeal. For the vast majority of YouTube creators who are not members of YouTube’s top 3 per cent, there is almost no direct line of communication to the company: Creators get automated emails saying their channels are penalised. When they try to reach out to YouTube, rather than get a person, they get more automated responses. While some encourage their fans to tweet at YouTube’s various Twitter handles, that usually proves fruitless, too.
This spring, some creators attempted to ban together and start a union, hoping that collective bargaining might help them better reach the company. Others simply quit the job entirely.
Ben, a vetted volunteer “trusted flagger,” who helps YouTube identify problematic content and offensive channels, said that after four years as a volunteer for YouTube, he’s seen tensions between YouTube and its creators peak in the past year.
“YouTube needs to be more transparent in their policies and give in-depth information to creators,” he said. “If a YouTube Trusted Flagger can’t distinguish whether there has been a violation based on the public information they give out I cannot see how they could expect most users to do so either.”
The YouTube gambling community is not massive, but its biggest channels have tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands of loyal and active fans, which allows them to broker brand deals with big-time casinos, gambling-machine manufacturers, and online gambling sites in Europe. After his channel was taken down, Christopher spent days trying to renegotiate deals he had made with casinos throughout his tour.
“YouTube doing this stuff absolutely jeopardizes my business relationships,” Christopher said. “I’m in contact with the casinos I was supposed to visit, I’m trying to put them at ease and continue on Facebook. I know I haven’t lost my brand … but it’s tough.”
Christopher’s channel was reinstated shortly after he spoke to The Atlantic, but other popular gambling channels have received permanent or temporary bans, or have had features, such as the ability to live stream, revoked.
Kim Hultman, a Swedish YouTuber who runs the gambling channel LetsGiveitaspinTV said that he was mid live stream when he found out YouTube shut down his channel.
“I checked my channel and it was gone. YouTube had shut it down completely. No notice,” he said. “I appealed and said I’ve been doing this over two years, I don’t understand why you’d decide to shut me down right now. They sent another generic mail saying we reviewed your appeal.”
“This is my full-time job,” he added. “You spend so many years to build it up and they can just erase it with one button.”
Since the first wave of bans, YouTubers said that they’ve felt a familiar wave of panic, knowing that they could be next. Though many attempts to diversify, YouTube’s platform is unique and many creators have been unsuccessful in their attempts to build audiences on other platforms to a similar scale.
“You need something like YouTube to help people find your channel,” Raja, who runs the YouTube gambling channel Raja Slots said during a live stream shortly after his channel was deleted, then reinstated earlier this week. “We have explored other options, but those other platforms aren’t going to help grow a channel.”
Source: theatlantic.com
Industry News
LiveScore Group Announces Internal Restructuring as Part of Sustainable Growth Strategy
LiveScore Group has announced an internal restructuring process, expected to impact more than 100 existing roles across multiple business locations, including London.
The changes are seen as a difficult yet important step for LiveScore Group, streamlining the business to create improved structures and a pathway to long-term sustainable growth. All impacted employees have been informed and are now subject to a confidential consultation process.
Sam Sadi, CEO of LiveScore Group, said: “On behalf of all Directors of LiveScore Group, and the relevant subsidiary companies, we are saddened by the difficult decision to commence an internal restructure of the business, a process which impacts a significant number of our people.
“Whilst we celebrate our recent period of significant and exciting growth, we must now future-proof the organisation and ensure our internal structures allow us to achieve long-term and sustainable success.
“This is a hard time for all our people, as we say goodbye to colleagues who have played an important role in our journey across recent years.”
The announcement follows on from the recent news that LiveScore Malta Limited (part of LiveScore Group) is to withdraw its LiveScore Bet brand from the Netherlands following recent government tax increases in the market. The announcement includes those impacted by this. There will be no other customer impact in respect of any of the remaining LiveScore, LiveScore Bet or Virgin Bet sites globally.
Industry News
Pronet Gaming Appoints Alex Karaoulis as its New Commercial & Product Strategy Lead
Pronet Gaming, an award-winning platform provider of full turnkey solutions, announced the appointment of Alexandros Karaoulis as its new Commercial & Product Strategy Lead.
With over 14 years of experience in the iGaming industry, Karaoulis brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise that will be instrumental in driving the company’s strategic initiatives forward.
Throughout his iGaming career, Karaoulis has held various senior roles with B2B sportsbook and casino providers, as well as with B2C operators. His extensive background in marketing and sales within the iGaming sector positions him as a true industry expert, ensuring that Pronet Gaming remains at the forefront of innovation in a rapidly evolving market.
“I am thrilled to join Pronet Gaming and excited to fulfill my role in developing and executing sales strategies to drive the company’s revenue growth in key markets,” Karaoulis said.
With a track record in commercial strategies and driving product excellence, Karaoulis’ appointment is invaluable as Pronet Gaming now seeks to expand its footprint to Asia. His vision and deep understanding of the iGaming landscape equip him to navigate the unique challenges and opportunities that the dynamic region presents.
“I want Pronet Gaming to lead the iGaming revolution by providing innovative, culturally tailored solutions that cater to the diverse and rapidly growing demands of the region. Through strategic partnerships, cutting-edge technology, and a deep understanding of local markets, we aim to empower operators to offer world-class gaming experiences that engage players and drive sustainable growth,” he added.
According to Karaoulis, Pronet Gaming is poised to make a splash in Asia by leveraging its advanced technology, flexible platform solutions and deep market expertise while adapting to the unique characteristics of the region.
“The key differentiation point of Pronet Gaming is that we have B2C experience, which greatly aids in understanding the needs of operators and helping them to improve and execute their strategy according to the market. I have worked in B2C roles for more than seven years in my iGaming Career and managed campaigns across various channels, optimised conversion funnels, and learned to use data to improve player acquisition and retention,” said Karaoulis.
Karaoulis acknowledges that the marketing skills he has acquired from B2C experience are valuable in every B2B environment. As he dives into his new role at Pronet Gaming, Karaoulis aims to guide his operator clients on how to better market their own sites, including providing them with advice on effective acquisition strategies, content marketing and campaign structures that appeal to iGaming audiences.
“I also focus heavily on engagement strategies, loyalty programs, bonuses, and personalised offers to keep players active and returning. In my new B2B role, I will advise clients on best practices for player engagement, helping them adopt effective loyalty programs, personalised marketing, and retention tactics that drive player lifetime value to improve the end-player experience for our clients’ sites,” Karaoulis added.
Industry News
Vbet Wins Best Online Casino Operator 2024 at SiGMA Europe 2024
Vbet has been crowned the Best Online Casino Operator 2024 at the highly coveted SiGMA Europe event, cementing its position as a leader in the online gaming industry.
This achievement highlights Vbet’s commitment to providing an exceptional user experience by combining cutting-edge technology with a vast range of options and a secure process. The dedication to creating a responsible, enjoyable environment for players was recognised with this award, making this accolade even more significant. As Vbet continue to expand into new markets, the list of strategic partnerships grows alongside our constant drive to expand its offering. This award serves as a stepping stone on its path to reach more players and set new standards in the industry.
Arman Khachatryan, VBET’s Managing Director, said: “We are incredibly proud to receive the Best Online Casino Operator award at SiGMA Europe 2024. This recognition is a testament to the hard work, passion, and effort of our entire team. Our mission has always been to deliver the highest quality experience in the safest environment possible to our users. This award not only recognizes our dedication to this mission but also motivates us to continue expanding into new markets and territories.”
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